Sunrise
by holdthecat
Summary: A complete rewrite of seasons 6 and 7. Includes a lot of platonic Spawn, some Willara and maybe a little Xander/Anya later on. (THIS IS NOT A 'WHAT IF' AU. This is what I think should have happened.)
1. Prologue

Willow did not cry at the funeral.

The rest of them did, even Anya. There was no consoling Dawn. For days, she was either silent or sobbing, openly and loud - and who could blame her? All that loss, squeezed into such a short space of time. It would break anyone - Summers woman or not.

It was Giles who took care of all the official work, signing papers and police reports. It was Giles that Dawn pleaded with, begging him not to call her father.

'I can't leave, Giles.' Her chin wobbled as she spoke. 'This is my home. My family - my family is here. Please. Don't make me leave.'

Giles didn't make the call, in the end. Not because he couldn't - although that was true, since he had no way of contacting Mr. Summers; it was because Dawn was right. And who was to say she would be any better with her estranged father, away from everything she knew?

So Dawn stayed.

Anya and Xander bickered. Giles drank. Tara tried to comfort Dawn, and when that didn't work, she cried along with her.

The day after the funeral Tara woke alone. She searched the mattress, still half-asleep, and found nothing but cold sheets. She sat up in bed with the covers wrapped around her and squinted into the darkness.

'Willow? Baby?'

Tara heard a book snap shut, papers rustling hastily.

'Will?'

'Uh-huh?'

Tara slipped out of bed, padding towards the girl who was hunched up on the floor. 'It's late.'

Willow nodded. She stood and made her way toward her girlfriend, but stopped when she saw Tara peering past her. A yellowed corner was protruding from beneath the wardrobe.

Tara stepped forward and plucked the sheet of paper from it's rushed hiding place, Willow making no excuses or any attempt to stop her.

'What's this?'

Willow's jaw was set in determination. 'A spell.'

'This... This is dark stuff, Will. This is black magic.' Tara read on, her eyes zigzagging across the page. 'This is... This is a resurrection spell. Willow, this is bad. You can't use this. You know that, don't you?'

'I only have a few ingredients left. I have the power, I know I do.' Willow's voice took on a pleading tone. 'I could do this. We could do this. We could bring Buffy back! Don't you want that?'

'Of course I do -'

'Then let's do it! We'll do it together; you and me. We're stronger together. Nothing'll go wrong, not if we both do it.'

'Stop! This isn't right, okay? I know you're hurting and Buffy's your friend, but you can't just go around raising the dead! It won't work - and even if it did, could you imagine the consequences? What if she's not all Buffy? What if she brings something back with her? Something even worse than Glory?'

Willow's voice went hard. 'I owe it to her to try.'

Tara shook her head. 'Will, honey, what makes you think she wants to come back?'

'She's alone in a hell dimension-'

'No! You want to believe she needs saving because if she's at peace, you can't bring her back. But you're wrong. Buffy was a hero. She gave her life for Dawn, for all of us - if there's a heaven, that's where she is.' Tears were streaming down Tara's face.'...She's with Joyce now, Will. She's happy.'

And then, almost 17 hours after the funeral, Willow began to sob.


	2. Chapter One

'I said no, Dawn.'

'We live on the Hellmouth! I _need_ training.' She hated how whiny she sounded, but she couldn't help it. She was sick of being weak.

Giles closed his eyes, looking exhausted. 'Buffy gave her life so you could be normal. I'm respecting her wishes, and you should too.'

'Bullshit. Who cares about normal? I get attacked in the street tomorrow, I'm dead.'

Giles was suddenly furious. 'Now listen here! All you want is to go out and pick a fight. You want to take your anger out on someone who can't get you grounded. Well go ahead, yell all you like, you're not getting any training from me.' He stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked past her. 'Is there anything else?'

Dawn said nothing, willing herself not to cry. She had little success.

Giles sighed. 'I'm sorry, Dawn. I don't... I don't think I could go through it all again.' He pulled off his glasses, still not looking at her, and rubbed the lenses on his shirt. 'I couldn't lose you. I owe Buffy that much, at least.'

Dawn swiped angrily at the tears that began to fall. 'I should probably go.'

'Dawn-'

'No, it's fine. I'm leaving.'

* * *

The door creaked open. Spike whipped around and stared into the sunlight, not quite reached by it's lethal rays. Not that he would have cared if he caught fire. He could be halfway to a crisp and he wouldn't even notice.

Because Buffy never knocked.

He stepped into the sunlight, unfazed by the smoke rising from his skin. 'Buffy?'

Dawn closed the door behind her. 'Afraid not.'

Spike leaned back on the sarcophagus and ran a hand through his hair. He tried not to look disappointed, as if he wasn't falling apart inside, as if his chest didn't ache and his heart wasn't empty. 'You ever heard of knocking?'

'Would you have answered if I did?'

Spike was silent.

'Thought so.' Dawn hopped up onto the sarcophagus beside him, smiling wanly.

Spike couldn't look at her. 'What are you doing here, Bit?'

'Does it matter?'

'Not to me. Don't think Red'd be quite so keen, though.'

'She's not my mom. It doesn't matter what she thinks.'

'Hey, watch that attitude. You've made my heart all fuzzy with pride.'

Dawn couldn't help but grin. 'You know this one time, a boy called me ugly so I hid a worm in his lunch box. He screamed and caused this massive fuss and everyone called him Worm Boy for weeks.'

Spike smirked. 'That's what I like to hear. Kids these days, they're all soft. Worst it gets is shunning someone, and that's no fun at all.'

'So what's the worst thing you've ever done?'

'You mean, apart from the slaughter of countless innocents?'

Dawn nodded.

'Well, that's a toughie. Tripped up a few old ladies in my time. Kicked a lot of puppies. Speaking of which; what's with the long face?'

Dawn looked away. Tell or not tell? 'I fell out with Giles.'

'Well, there's a first.'

'What does that mean?'

'Oh come on, Bit. It's pretty hard not to bicker with someone that stuffy.'

Dawn didn't laugh. 'Everyone still treats me like a kid.'

'Well of course they do. You are a kid.'

'I'm fourteen!'

Spike raised an eyebrow and said nothing.

'Whatever. As if you'd understand.'

With a bitter approximation of a smile, Spike turned to sit facing Dawn, his crossed legs between them. 'Let's see here... So you're pissed, right, because you know you could lend a hand but they won't let you. You want to prove yourself but they don't care, they won't give you a bloody chance. And as long as they leave you out, you don't have any way of showing that yeah, you're actually worth your while. Am I getting warm?'

Dawn glared at him.

'I'd say I've hit the nail on the head. Except in your case, I imagine they're doing it because they want to protect you. So go then; tell me I'm wrong.'

Dawn's voice was brittle, tears in her eyes once again. 'I don't want anyone else to die because of me.'

A silence hung in the air. A silence that begged to be broken.

Eventually, the vampire spoke. 'Close enough.' He swung his legs back over the side of the stone casket, lighting a cigarette. 'So that's why you went to Giles, right? Slaying for dummies and all that.'

Dawn blinked and wiped her eyes as subtly as she could. 'He said no. Told me it wasn't safe.'

'Course it's not safe. We live on the bleeding Hellmouth.'

'That's what I said. But he was all... You know. Giles.'

Spike took a long drag on his cigarette, considering something. He frowned, looked at her, then walked away, disappearing into the gloom. He returned with a crossbow. 'Don't tell the Watcher.'

Dawn stared at the weapon, then back up at Spike.

'Well go on, then.'

Dawn smiled. Her hands itching, she picked up the crossbow. She weighed it in her hands, adjusting to it's feel, then slipped her finger over the trigger.

'Hey, watch it!' Spike knocked the weapon sideways.

'Oops. Sorry.'

'I'm starting to regret this.'


End file.
